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Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs opened their season with a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, and on Sunday, their season effectively ended with another loss to the Chargers. The Chiefs, of course, still have three games remaining in the regular season, but Sunday’s 16-13 defeat eliminated the team that has won three of the last six Super Bowls, and appeared in five, from playoff contention.

But that wasn’t even the worst news. A devastating knee injury suffered by future Hall of Fame quarterback Patrick Mahomes puts the team’s outlook for the 2026 season in doubt as well.

New information about Mahomes’ injury revealed on Monday night points to a lengthier recovery period for the 30-year-old Mahomes than initially believed, according to a sports injury physician who founded the information service Sports Injury Central.

Mahomes Suffered Ligament Tear, Report Says

Initially, Mahomes was reported to have torn his left anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL. But he underwent surgery in Dallas to repair the torn ligament on Monday, and it was then reported that he also suffered a tear to his lateral collateral ligament (LCL). NFL insider Ian Rapoport of NFL Network was first to report the LCL tear, but the journalist said that the additional injury “doesn’t necessarily extend his rehab longer than nine months or so.”

But sports injury physician Dr. David Chao appeared to disagree. Chao said on his social media account that the second injury “makes his recovery more difficult.”

Dr. Jesse Morse, a Florida-based sports injury specialist, also noted that “Multi-ligament ACL tears traditionally take longer (12-15 months),” and added that Mahomes will not feel fully confident in his knee until 2027.

Rush to Surgery Points to More Serious Injury

“Based on the video, there was concern for both an ACL and LCL injury,” Chao said on the site. “His knee bows outward, stretching the lateral collateral ligament, and then buckles, tearing the ACL. That was always the worry, and tonight’s news essentially confirms it.”

Chao said that the “urgency” with which Mahomes was rushed to surgery pointed to a more serious injury, the additional torn ligament. “Multiligament is harder recovery,” Chao said.

“(Dallas Cowboys linebacker) Micah Parsons, with an isolated ACL tear, has not had surgery yet despite suffering his injury the same day as Mahomes, and being the same level of superstar. The reason to move quickly with LCL surgery is that it is a true repair,” Chao said, quoted by Sports Injury Central.

Recovery Time Up to One Year

According to information provided by Bass Medical Group, an ACL tear can require anywhere from eight to 12 months for an NFL athlete to make a full recovery. While it is unclear whether the LCL tear lengthens that estimate, it complicates the recovery process, and often requires the patient to spend time wearing a brace during the rehabilitation period, according to the DocsHealth medical information site.

Mahomes’ surgery “was performed by Dr. Dan Cooper, a highly regarded orthopedist and the team physician of the Dallas Cowboys,” according to a Fox Sports report.

Chao described Cooper as “a surgeon widely known for LCL repairs. The specialist previously repaired Jaylon Smith’s LCL after his Notre Dame injury and recently operated on Colorado star Travis Hunter, further indicating that Mahomes’ injury extended beyond the ACL.”

Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist and writer who now covers baseball and other sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering Japan Pro Baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. More about Jonathan Vankin

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